PLY article index

This article looks at the effect finishing has on fabric made from a woolen-spun yarn as well as other factors such as breed type and gauge. Two swatches were made from each yarn spun, one control and one washed and dried flat. The washed swatch was then steamed and stretched in various directions to stimulate wear. The control swatches and “worn” swatches were compared for stitch and row gauges as well as other factors.

This article looks at the ways you can use plying to help add consistency across all the yarn you spin for a larger project. Once you’ve spun all your singles, you can then use the techniques from this article to help mix and match those singles to create balance among all the final skeins.

This article explores the art of spinning a woolen yarn with varying percentages of textural add-ins and tips and tricks to approach this type of preparation. It starts with considerations for the add-ins and the base fiber(s) and continues with the drafting styles to use for this type of yarn as well as tips for plying.

This article describes how to spin the yarn for the Poplar Sweater project also found in this issue. The yarn is a woolen-spun yarn using Romney and describes how to spin it to create a balance between functionality (durable and pill-resistant) and form (woolen for warmth).

Knitting pattern for a classic crew neck sweater with an allover textured stitch detail, constructed from the bottom up in the round, split for the back and front, and seamed together at the shoulders. The collar is picked up and worked after shoulder seaming, and the sleeves are knit bottom up and seamed.

This article discusses the prep for the fiber used for the Eyja Yoke Sweater (pattern included in this issue). It uses Icelandic fleece and discusses how to use both the tog and thel for warmth and durability.

This article describes how to spin the yarn for the Eyja Yoke Sweater (pattern included in this issue). The yarn is a low twist singles yarn and two yarns are spun: one directly from the Icelandic fleece and the other from a prepared roving.

Pattern for a sweater, designed to give you many options to do your own designing along the way: you can mix and match your main color, you can have cuffs in a different color, or you can have a solid main color with the yoke as a playground for colors and textures. The yoke uses a mosaic technique to create interesting detail and texture.

This article discusses how the author uses reclaimed textiles blended with raw wool to create new yarn by unraveling, cutting pieces, or shredding textile goods destined for the landfill and repurposing them. The author has been able to take old sweaters and blankets, yarn scraps, mill waste, and unwanted raw wool and spin them into a variety of usable yarns to knit sweaters and vests.

This article looks at various fibers and experiments with spinning them to test which has the most drape. Fibers used are EZ Spin Acala cotton, Cormo, Corriedale, Romney, Southdown, yak, mohair, Huacaya alpaca, flax, and Tussah silk. Comparison includes grist, crimp and slickness, and a hang test (shown in photos).

What do you do when you plan to spin a yarn for a project that needs drape but find the yarn doesn’t drape as you expected? This article discusses what might have happened to lead your yarn to lack the drape you wanted it to have. It looks at fiber choice, prep, spinning style, and twist as well as the gauge of your project.

Many factors come into play when creating a yarn that will drape, but this article focuses on drafting as a factor. It first examines the prep and the drafting techniques used and then runs through some example yarns and swatches to determine which options provided the most drape. It also discusses making sure that you don’t get more drape than you really need.

This article looks at some of the choices you can make to encourage drape in your yarns: preparing the fiber, spinning and plying and yarn, and finishing. For example yarns/swatches, fibers used are Cormo, alpaca, and a blend of the two fibers.

This article experiments with blending hemp and wool, starting with discussing the actual blending by using a drum carder. The author created blends of varying proportion of fibers and then spun each blend and describes the spinning and finishing methods. Finally, the author compares the final results of the yarns and knit swatches to see which swatches provided the most drape. The wools tested along with hemp are Florida Cracker and Targhee.

This article describes one of the yarns spun for the cowl project (pattern included in this issue). It is a blend of hemp and Targhee, spun with a short forward draft, and spun as a 2-ply yarn.

This article describes how to spin the yarn used for the cowl project (pattern included in this issue). It uses Targhee wool and is a 2-ply yarn.

Knitting pattern for two versions of a cowl, using the same variation of the feather and fan pattern, differing only in the number of stitch pattern and round repeats to determine the circumference and height of each design, plus the addition of Japanese seed beads to the gradient version.

This article experiments with how fiber selection and twist play a role in designing yarns with drape. It starts with a discussion of crimp and how that affects drape and moves into describing how the fleeces uses were prepared and spun. Fibers used are Corriedale and Lincoln.

This article explores how blending milk fiber can increase the drape of other fibers: Merino, alpaca, Rambouillet, rose, Tencel, and silk. It discusses blending and spinning each of these combinations and the drape results of each, using knit swatches.

This article looks at various options for spinning a yarn that will add drape to crochet projects using a Leicester Longwool fleece. It explores blending the wool with Suri alpaca as well as Tussah silk in varying proportions to create a yarn with the drape of the wool with the shine and softness of the other fibers. The author crocheted each blend into a swatch and compared the results.

This article describes how to spin the yarn used in the capelet project (pattern in this issue). The 2-ply yarn is a blend of Leicester Longwool, Suri alpaca, and Tussah silk.

Crochet pattern for a lace capelet reminiscent of vintage bed jackets with a touch of elegance. The open lace pattern over the shoulders and a heavier brick pattern at the bottom half of the capelet helped increase the overall drape.

Each of the authors describes the yarn they spun for the most drape. It includes silk; a blend of a fine fiber such as cashmere, camel, alpaca, or Merino and silk; a blend of yak and silk; a blend of superfine alpaca, Falklands Merino, and mulberry silk; and a blend of alpaca, Merino, and silk.

Lotus fiber, also known as lotus silk, is known for its drape. Lotus fiber is a cellulose fiber sourced from the lotus plant. This article describes the fiber and the experience of dyeing, prepping (including blending it with silk), spinning , and knitting this fiber.